Thyroid Problems Cause Hair Loss

There are many factors that contribute to hair loss. Some of them include hormonal changes in the body. Other factors too can cause hair loss such as nutritional deficiency, physical and mental stress, drug’s side effects and hereditary. Thyroid gland is an important gland that is situated in the neck and it is one of the major causes. Both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are responsible for contributing hair loss in both; the men and women.

Generally, the hair growth has three stages; an anagen stage, the catagen stage and the dormant stage. When the body suffers from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, the routine mechanism of the hair growth process slower down and gets highly disturbed. Thyroid gland malfunctioning can force hair follicles to remain in the dormant phase for quite a longer period than normal. The entire process leads to stalled hair growth and ultimately losing the hair.

Thyroid gland, being an endocrine gland, secrets the thyroid hormone called as thyroxine that plays keyrole in the metabolism of the body. Any disturbance in the mechanism can alter the overall metabolic activity and once the metabolism is disturbed, it brings series of various health ailments, hair loss being one of them. The hormonal dysfunctions within the body can cause hair loss. Hair loss happens when dihydrotestosterone (DHT) shrinks the hair roots and gradually cause them to disappear. When the body suffers from hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, the thyroid gland encourages the conversion process of testosterone process into DHT that accelerates hair loss in the men and women.

There are many people who notice rapid hair loss as a symptom of their hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism condition. When the body feels crisis, the hair follicles, roots or cells shut down to store and redirect the energy somewhere else where it is needed. Moreover, there are many evidences favoring that sometimes, even thyroid controlling drugs can also cause hair loss as one of their side effects. It is therefore, important for a doctor to evaluate any thyroid medications if the person comes with noticeable hair loss without any other causes.

On the other hand, thyroid problem cannot be the only reason for hair loss. It is therefore becomes necessary to rule out another problems. If anyone is suspecting thyroid hair loss, it is advisable to check out for another symptoms of thyroid malfunctioning. Symptoms of hypothyroidism include fatigue, abnormal sensitivity to coldness, dryness skin constipation and depression. One of the most important symptoms includes unnecessarily gaining of weight. Symptoms of hyperthyroidism include fatigue, weight loss, mental irritability and rapid heartbeats.

Overall, the hair loss and thyroid malfunctioning can go hand-in-hand but then too, one has to confirm the thyroid condition by various tests before coming to the final conclusion and so the treatment. Once the thyroid condition is detected, it can be treated accordingly. Hair fall can also be controlled by altering the dosage of those thyroid medications and with the help of some alternative therapies such as homeopathy, Ayurveda, massage and acupressure.

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